With a spring in our step

With some signs of a slow recovery and increased movement in terms of raw material availability, and opening travel corridors, 2022 should be a less challenging year for product manufacturers and suppliers. However, we must remain agile, flexible and responsive if we are to meet the needs of a fluctuating market and wider environment exacerbated by a booming construction sector, says David Mattin, Managing Director of Dietzel Univolt.

David says, “For Univolt, as with many other product manufactures, we are consolidating our business and marketing our current product range rather than investing in the development and launch of new products. For us, it’s important that we focus on our core cable management solutions, notably our LSFOH and SLXL – premium safety driven trunking solutions; as well as core lines –bench trunking, power poles and PVC tray.

“With more and more contractors moving towards offsite construction and MMC, it’s important that we are able to support this movement with our own product range. We are already working with specifiers and architects to supply prefabricated products and systems that can range from bespoke colour, length and width to a fully prefabricated solution that is supplied ready to simply slot in. We are seeing a lot of demand from the student accommodation sector, where an offsite approach is increasingly considered the norm.”

According to David, the benefits from a cable management perspective are instantly evident, saving time on site and far less labour intensive work resulting in cost reductions as well as reductions in waste. Whilst the majority of UK construction are not switched on to this fully just yet, David believes that this approach is undoubtedly on everyone’s radar and will become fully integrated into the industry throughout the next decade.

“More conversations with end users will help our industry understand the contractors’ needs as they evolve, and clear guidance from government is vital as they drive Modern Methods of Construction onto our industry,” says David. “We will continue to pilot this approach in off site and prefabrication with the aim of becoming a go to supplier within this niche field.

“Issues surrounding logistics and transport still remain challenging and much of 2021 was spent managing delays and disruption. As issues with COVID-19 slowly ease and we adapt to Brexit, we are all finding our feet within a new landscape. Our manufacturing facility in Austria allows us access to a steady stream of core products and we have been innovative in securing transport solutions to ensure our client orders are met. These issues, we believe, will continue to ease as the year gathers pace.

“Access to raw material remains challenging – costs continue to fluctuate and remain difficult to source but again, we believe and hope that these concerns are alleviated as markets begin to react less in the face or threat of change.

“We have begun working with the MOD on a number of projects who recognise our SLXL as a strong fit for their refurbishment and new build projects. Their commitment to specifying our products has been a welcome development and one which we believe will provide a springboard in opening new doors to more clients who may be considering this type of specification.”

The SLXL product range has been under development for some time from Univolt’s headquarters in Austria. It offers a higher ignition point of up to 15% than standard PVC, the halogens contained within the products are released at a slower rate, therefore, smoke release is also reduced by up to 65% in the first four minutes of a fire (when compared to standard PVC dado trunkings).

Not only does it essentially complete the Univolt range catering for Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6A, Cat8 and OM3 Fibre Optic cables but it now offers far reaching safety benefits through its slow burning fire resistant properties.

“This specific product has been an important development for us and one which we’re particularly excited about, David says. “SLXL offers customers something entirely different, combining functionality and aesthetics with safety and durability as well as delivering a future-proof cabling solution.

“We are already seeing Cat8 being installed within data centres, delivering 2000MHz bandwidth, representing three times more than Cat 6A. Whilst we don’t envisage this having any major impact on the commercial market for the next 12 months, this product essentially future-proofs any cable containment system.

“Safety has and continues to be the most pressing element when approaching any electrical installation. With relatively little price differentiator between PVC and PVC- LSF, and with very few other manufacturers offering this specification, we see this as an easy choice to make.

“We believe that we have come through the challenges that the last two years have brought as a stronger, more astute and more agile business. We recognise and understand now more than ever before the benefits of our products and their place within the market and look forward to realising our growing potential in the year ahead.”

Access to raw material remains challenging Univolt says that it is important that it focuses on its core cable management solutions

Dietzel Univolt, dietzel-univolt.com

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